Indirect Questions

Level 3

An indirect question sits inside another sentence and keeps its question word, as in Non sei onde vive (I do not know where she lives) and Pregúntalle que quere (Ask him what he wants).

How It Works

Common openers: non sei (I do not know), quero saber (I want to know), dime (tell me), pregúntalle (ask him or her), non lembro (I do not remember).

With a question word: keep the same word as in the direct question: que, quen, onde, cando, como, canto and cal. Dime cando chegas (Tell me when you are arriving). Quero saber canto custa (I want to know how much it costs).

Yes/no questions use se: Non sei se vén (I do not know if he is coming). Write se, never si, which means "yes". Compare direct yes/no questions.

With an infinitive: Non sei que facer (I do not know what to do).

No accent on question words: the norms write cal, cando, canto, como, onde, que and quen without an accent, in direct and indirect questions alike. They allow an accent only where the sentence would otherwise be genuinely ambiguous: dille qué queres (tell him what you want) versus dille que queres (tell him that you want it).

Pronouns: the question word pulls an unstressed pronoun in front of the verb, just as in direct questions: Non sei onde o puxen (I do not know where I put it), Non lembro como se chama (I do not remember what her name is).

Reporting questions: after a past verb, the tense moves back as in reported statements: Preguntoume onde vivía (She asked me where I lived).

Examples (6)

  1. Non sei onde vive.

    I do not know where she lives.

    Word by Word: Not know-I where lives.

  2. Pregúntalle que quere.

    Ask him what he wants.

    Word by Word: Ask-him what wants.

  3. Non sei se vén.

    I do not know if he is coming.

    Word by Word: Not know-I if comes.

    A yes/no question becomes a se clause.

  4. Dime cando chegas.

    Tell me when you are arriving.

    Word by Word: Tell-me when arrive-you.

  5. Non lembro como se chama.

    I do not remember what her name is.

    Word by Word: Not remember-I how herself calls.

    Como pulls the pronoun se in front of the verb.

  6. Non sei que facer.

    I do not know what to do.

    Word by Word: Not know-I what do.

    An indirect question can use an infinitive.

Common Mistakes

  • Adding a Spanish-style accent to the question word.

    Non sei ónde vive.
    Non sei onde vive.

    Galician question words carry no written accent, in direct or indirect questions. The norms allow one only to avoid ambiguity, and Non sei onde vive is not ambiguous.

  • Writing si for "whether".

    Pregúntalle si quere café.
    Pregúntalle se quere café.

    The word that introduces an indirect yes/no question is se. Si means "yes".

  • Attaching the pronoun after the verb.

    Non sei onde púxeno.
    Non sei onde o puxen.

    A question word pulls the unstressed pronoun in front of the verb, in indirect questions too.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Indirect QuestionsLevel 3

Learn This First

An embedded question retains its question word or uses se for a yes-no question.

Words in This Pattern